Armstrong+Zolinski

Armstrong Chapter 5 Discussion

Ashley Zolinski

When I was reading the part on page 92, about where Laozi says that civilization was a mistake, made me think a little bit. I think sometimes about how it might be different today if, like Laozi would rather have it, we had no technology, art, culture, or war. But looking at human nature and the world, I don’t think some of the things could have been avoided. Culture especially could probably not have been avoided because when you seclude people away from each other around all different parts of the world you ultimately see different cultures form. From culture you get different kinds of expressions of art. It is also human nature, as we know it, to feel emotions like greed, anger, and selfishness. This is why war could probably never have been avoided as well. As far as technology goes, humans are a curious species, and we are “programmed” with the intent to experiment with things. In return, find new ways to increase our technology. If I were wrong, and these things could have been avoided, then we would not see myths, as we know them to be, at all. This is because myth is based on human thoughts, culture, art, emotions, experiences, and are really here to explain things for us. But this leads me to the question, is myth based upon the culture, or is the culture based upon the myth? I ask this because, if there were no civilization, then would myths even find a way to exist? Another question, or comment, I came up with had to do with when Armstrong talk, on page 82, about people banishing myths, but seeing them creep back up into their culture. My question is then, is this because these myths were about human nature and things we may encounter, so therefore, even if we banish them we will see them come back up because we cannot do without an explanation for human nature and the things we experience?

Hi Ashley. Your questions were quite astonishing. If we think too long on it we may vanish also.Ha. Ha. I seriously think it would be awful if we didn't have things like war, greed, or even myths to carry on to next generation. We would not know how to act. Pamela Vasquez

Ashley I was up all night thinking how bad it actually be in a world where we couldn't experiment with things. I don't think that i could imagine life being so complicated. Pamela Vasquez

Ashley, your insights are amazing. When Laozi was talking about getting rid of allthe technology, art, and war, to be a better world. I thought that this might be good thing, and then I also started thinking about how as humans we have been curious and facinated with new things and expressing ourselves. You are also absolutely correct that as human nature will be so will war.

Also the point made about the people trying to abolish their myths, with them coming back to be revealed no matter what, if not a little bit changed to fit the mold. by Patricia Veirs

Your asking about if myths are based on culture or if culture is based on myths, is similar to asking what came first the chicken or the egg. It is all due to perspective. It could always be a recurring theme of a myth, then a culture for that myth, then a new myth for the new culture, and so forth. by Patricia VeirsType in the content of your page here.